Erasing 1,700-year history: Israel’s property grab threatens Armenian Christians in al-Quds
By Ivan Kesic | Press TV | February 26, 2025
Armenian Christians, the smallest recognized community in occupied al-Quds, are reeling under pressure from Israeli settler-colonial policies aimed at imposing exorbitant taxes, seizing their properties, displacing them, and ultimately Judaizing the historic city center.
On February 18, the Armenian Patriarchate in the holy city issued an urgent communiqué, warning that the local Zionist municipality is attempting to confiscate and auction off properties it owns there.
The Patriarchate is situated in the Armenian Quarter, one of the four sections of the walled Old City, alongside the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish Quarters.
This small Armenian community, located in the southwestern corner of the 12.6-hectare Old City, numbers only a few hundred people. As the oldest Armenian diaspora, it has maintained a presence in the neighborhood for nearly 1,700 years, as per historical accounts.
For years, the Armenian community has resisted the expansion of Jewish-only settlements in occupied Jerusalem al-Quds. However, their enduring heritage is now at risk of being erased.
The Israeli regime claims that the Patriarchate has unpaid taxes dating back to 1994—an accusation the Patriarchate denounces as unjust, crippling, and only recently imposed.
It warns that this move could set a dangerous precedent for all Christian communities in the city.
In an effort to halt the foreclosure process on its centuries-old properties, the Patriarchate has filed a petition. The hearing was initially scheduled for February 24 but has since been postponed.
Unjustified tax apartheid
After issuing a desperate appeal and urging supporters to share it on social media platforms, the Armenian Patriarchate came under vicious attack from Zionist hate-mongers, who falsely accused it of evading taxes for 31 years.
In reality, as a Press TV website investigation revealed, Christian church-owned properties were exempt from property taxes for two centuries until a 2018 decision by the Zionist municipality, approved by Benjamin Netanyahu’s regime, overturned this longstanding policy.
Armenian Quarter in al-Quds, the place of 1,700 years of Armenian history
The Zionist settler-colonial authorities then imposed the so-called Arnona, an annual municipal property tax levied on local residents in the occupied al-Quds.
Without any legal basis, the municipality arbitrarily ruled that the historic 200-year exemption applied only to places of worship, while all other church-owned properties would be subject to retroactive taxation from 1994.
This date was chosen because it marked the signing of an agreement between the Zionist regime and Jordan, recognizing Amman’s custodianship over Muslim holy sites in the Old City—while Tel Aviv remained the occupying power.
Overnight, the municipality’s decision saddled the small Armenian community with a 24-year debt. Under Zionist regime laws, properties weighed down with such heavy debts can be seized and auctioned to cover the outstanding amount.
This aggressive campaign was spearheaded by Nir Barkat, a Likud politician, and then-mayor, who sought to tax so-called “non-religious” church properties for a total of $200 million, even ordering the freezing of their bank accounts.
The Armenian Patriarchate was not alone in its resistance. Other Christian leaders also vehemently opposed the move, going so far as to close the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in protest.
The dispute further strained relations between the Israeli regime and the Holy See, which cited local tax disputes as a key reason for delaying ongoing bilateral negotiations on property and economic matters.
Armenian Christians as the primary target
As the smallest and most vulnerable Christian community in the city, Armenians have been the primary target of the Zionist regime’s apartheid policies. The Armenian Patriarchate emphasizes that no other Christian community has faced such unprecedented and irreversible measures.
Following the municipality’s issuance of a seizure order, the Armenian Patriarch sent a letter to Netanyahu, urging him to intervene and halt the municipality’s actions regarding the tax dispute.
The Patriarchate has challenged the legality of these measures, asserting that no judicial ruling has ever subjected it to such obligations.
The petition asserted that the municipality disregarded the statute of limitations for the period between 1994 and 2018, demanding an exorbitant sum without clearly defining the presumed tax base.
The municipality’s actions have been described as aggressive and particularly unjustified; given that it itself owes the Patriarchate millions of shekels in overdue rental fees.
Armenian Quarter numbers only a few hundred people due to Zionist apartheid policies
Despite this, the Patriarchate has refrained from legal action to recover the debt, instead opting for prolonged negotiations to reach an amicable resolution.
In its statement, the Patriarchate also noted that it has repeatedly attempted to present these arguments to municipal authorities, who have refused to reassess the validity of the debt, despite clear violations of legal deadlines and procedures.
The official responsible for rejecting the review of the debt—because the deadline for objections had passed—is the same individual who originally determined the astronomical debt.
“In other words, the municipal employee is acting as the claimant, judge, and executor of the administrative order, serving the interests of his employer—the municipality,” the statement declared.
The petition is therefore directed against both the municipality and the official in question. A hearing was scheduled for February 24; however, just four days before the date, it was announced that the session had been postponed indefinitely due to weather conditions.
If the petition is rejected, the municipality will be authorized to immediately resume the seizure of properties in order to erase the long history of Armenian Christians in the occupied holy city.
Christian communities’ condemnation
Church representatives in the occupied al-Quds, along with the World Council of Churches (WCC), have expressed their solidarity with the Armenian Patriarchate through an official statement.
On February 21, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem issued a declaration condemning the municipality’s “unjust foreclosure order” and calling for “immediate intervention.”
Christian leaders in occupied al-Quds voiced their “great concern” and “steadfast solidarity” with the Orthodox Armenian Patriarchate in its fight for justice against what they described as an “unverified and exorbitant” tax debt, denouncing it as “dubious and morally unacceptable.”
“It is inconceivable that Christian institutions, which for centuries have safeguarded the faith, served communities, and preserved the sacred heritage of the Holy Land, should now face the threat of property seizure under Israeli administrative measures that disregard due process,” they stated.
Particularly alarming, they noted, is the municipality’s attempt to enforce the debt determination without judicial review, in open defiance of the committee formed to handle such negotiations.
This “reckless move,” they warned, threatens the Orthodox Armenian Patriarchate, sets a dangerous precedent for other Christian institutions, and undermines religious freedom.
They further explained that seizing these assets would strip both the Armenian Patriarchate and its community of essential economic resources, jeopardizing their ability to sustain their presence and fulfill their pastoral mission.
The statement concluded with a powerful declaration: “The targeting of one Church is an assault on all.” The leaders urged Israeli occupation to immediately intervene, halt all foreclosure proceedings, and ensure the resumption of negotiations.
The WCC, a global Christian inter-church organization representing 352 member churches, echoed this condemnation in a separate statement, denouncing the Israeli actions as “a blatant attack on religious freedom” and “an alarming violation of the historic status quo” governing the Holy Sites of al-Quds.
Other hostile moves against Christians
The imposition of a fictitious tax debt is just one example of Zionist attempts to appropriate Armenian property and intimidate the Armenian community.
Another significant case is the ongoing multi-year effort to seize the Cows’ Garden, an undeveloped one-hectare section of the Armenian Quarter.
The controversy erupted in 2020 when the Armenian Patriarchate signed a ten-year contract with the local municipality to convert the vacant land into a parking lot for Jewish settlers in the Old City and pilgrims visiting the Western Wall.
Both Armenians and Palestinians staged protests against the lease agreement, voicing concerns over Armenian land ownership. The Patriarchate maintained that the deal was strictly a financial arrangement, not a sale deed.
The following year, the parking lot was opened, and the Patriarchate signed a new contract with Israeli investors from the Dubai-registered Xana Gardens company to lease the land for 99 years and construct a luxury hotel.
This sparked even fiercer protests and led to the uncovering of an internal corruption scandal. By the end of 2023, the Patriarchate canceled the contract, stating that the investors had misled them regarding financial commitments and final development plans.
In response, the Israeli company escalated its efforts to forcibly acquire the land, resorting to lawsuits, threats, and physical intimidation of Armenians.
Since then, the Armenian Christian community has erected temporary guard stations and has been physically safeguarding the disputed land around the clock for months.
Jewish mobs have been recorded attacking Armenians on multiple occasions. Under the protection of Israeli occupation police, the company sent bulldozers to the site, and at one point, the owner arrived in person, openly calling for the expulsion of Armenians.
Zionist extremists frequently vandalize the Armenian Quarter with hate graffiti, including slogans such as “Death to Arabs and their Armenian Friends.” They have also targeted Armenian families with harassment and violence.
Meanwhile, investigations have revealed the company’s ties to the far-right settler movement, which aids Israeli settlers in seizing Muslim and Christian properties across occupied al-Quds.
Armenians and Palestinians fear the long-term consequences of these policies, warning that they will disrupt the demographic balance and further the ongoing Judaization of the Old City.
Hamas denounces New York Times distortion of Marzouk’s comments on Op Al-Aqsa Flood
Press TV – February 25, 2025
Hamas has rejected a report by the American daily newspaper The New York Times that has misrepresented recent remarks by a senior official of the Palestinian resistance movement, emphasizing that the comments are “inaccurate” and “taken out of context.”
In a statement released on Monday, the Gaza-based group said the interview conducted with Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior member of its political bureau, and published several days ago did not contain the full content of the answers, and his exact remarks were quoted out of context.
Hamas stressed that the published interview did not include the true remarks made by Abu Marzouk, and did not convey the true meaning of what he had said.
On Monday, The New York Times ran an article titled: “Hamas Official Expresses Reservations About Oct. 7 Attack on Israel” claiming that Abu Marzouk voiced doubts regarding the October 7 attack.
According to the article, Abu Marzouk admitted he would not have endorsed the assault had he been aware of the destruction it would cause in Gaza.
Hamas in its statement stated that Abu Marzouk confirmed that the large-scale surprise attack, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, against the usurping Tel Aviv regime on October 7, 2023, reflected the Palestinian people’s right to resistance and their rejection of Israel’s siege, occupation, and settlement expansion activities.
Abu Marzouk also emphasized that the criminal Israeli regime had committed appalling war crimes and genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.
Abu Marzouk told the New York Times that Hamas would not give up its positions and Palestinian people’s right to use all forms of resistance, including armed resistance, to fight off the Israeli occupation and liberate their land.
“The resistance weapon belongs to our people and its purpose is to protect our people and our holy sites, so it is not permissible to drop or surrender it as long as the [Israeli] occupation exists on our land,” the high-ranking Hamas official told the newspaper.
Backed by the United States and its Western allies, Israel launched the war on Gaza, after Hamas and other Gaza-based Palestinian resistance movements carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against the Israeli regime in response to its decades-long campaign of oppression against Palestinians.
Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has led to the killing of at least 48,346 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injury of 111,759 others since early October 2023.
A ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement went into effect in Gaza on January 19, halting Israel’s aggressive campaign against the coastal region.
Restoring Palestine to its rightful owners by decolonising solidarity
By Ramzy Baroud | MEMO | February 25, 2025
Israel says army to stay ‘for next year’ in Palestinian refugee camp in occupied West Bank
MEMO | February 23, 2025
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that the army will remain in Palestinian refugee camps in the northern West Bank for the next year to prevent Palestinian residents from returning, Anadolu reports.
The Israeli army deployed tanks in the northern West Bank early Sunday, marking the first time since 2002 amid military escalation in the occupied territory.
“The Israeli army is expanding its operations in the northern West Bank, and starting tonight, it will also operate in the town of Qabatiya,” Katz said in a statement.
The defense minister said 40,000 Palestinians have been evacuated from Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams refugee camps.
“UNRWA activity in the camps has also been stopped,” he said. “I instructed the IDF (army) to prepare for a long stay in the camps that were cleared, for the coming year, and not allow residents to return.”
The army has been conducting military operations in the northern West Bank since last month, killing at least 60 people and displacing thousands.
The raids were the latest in Israel’s ongoing military escalation in the West Bank where at least 923 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 7,000 injured in attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers since the start of the onslaught against the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The International Court of Justice declared in July that Israel’s long-standing occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal, demanding the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Tel Aviv bus bombings: False flag or Netanyahu’s luck?
By Robert Inlakesh | The Cradle | February 23, 2025
At 8:30 PM on Thursday night, an Israeli firefighting department said that “a report was received about a bus explosion in a bus parking lot” on Ha’amal Street in Bat Yam, southern Tel Aviv. Later reports suggested that a passenger had notified the bus driver that a suspicious package had been left inside the vehicle, triggering an emergency evacuation, after which an explosive device detonated the backside of the bus.
The event occurred in a parking lot only a few hundred meters away from two buses, dozens of meters apart, that had also exploded shortly prior in the parking lot for the Bat Yam Stadium and Bat Yam Country Club. The two vehicles were parked in open areas, not beside the other buses that were parked next to each other, exploding at a time when nobody was within distance.
Following this, it was reported that the Israeli authorities had discovered two more bombs planted on buses. One explosive device was said to have been neutralized on a bus near the Wolfson Hospital in the industrial hub of Holon, located over 4 kilometers away from the previous explosions. Another explosive device was also announced to have been on a bus in Yimit 2000, before it was later ruled out as unconnected.
Soon after, there were reports of suspicious activity at Israel’s Haganah train station and suspicious cargo on the light rail that was soon ruled out but didn’t stop a shutdown of all transportation by 10PM that same night. However, it was reported that a “suspect” in the bombing case was pursued at Tel Aviv’s Haganah station and had even fled onto the train tracks to avoid arrest.
A photo of an improvised explosive device (IED) located on a bus in the Holon area was quickly published in the Hebrew media and, in Arabic, said “Revenge for Tulkarem.” The entire event ended without a single casualty, not even a light injury.
A series of “miracles”
The explanation that the Israeli authorities have offered as to why the bombs went off prematurely is that the timers were incorrectly set. This conclusion was drawn within hours and communicated to the Hebrew media, claiming that the intended time of detonation was 9 AM on Friday, but instead, they were programmed for 9 PM on Thursday night. Yet, the incident was first reported at 8:30 PM, as noted above, which calls into question this explanation.
The passenger who noticed the bomb on the third bus that was blown up – on Ha’amal Street in Bat Yam – told the media that, following the evacuation of the bus, “as everyone was moving away, the explosion occurred.” This has widely been accepted by Israelis as a “miracle.”
Another “miracle” was that the first two buses also happened to not only detonate when nobody was around, but both happened to be parked several meters away from other buses that were clearly lined up next to each other. This made it so that no other buses were blown up, and the overall damage costs were kept to a minimum.
The assailant/s who planted the bomb that was neutralized also happened to write a note in Arabic that left a possible motive. This IED was not only laced with a clue, that would have disappeared had it exploded, but is indicative of someone who wanted their work to be known. Yet, no group has actually claimed the attack.
Israel’s ongoing invasion of the northern West Bank, which began in January, has led to the murder of around 100 Palestinians, and in the Tulkarem Refugee Camp in particular, some 75% of its residents have been forced from their homes. However, the Israeli army’s campaign is yet to inflict a defeat on the armed groups operating there.
Another strange development was two vague statements released on Telegram by the Qassam Brigades’ Tulkarem branch, hinting at what occurred in Tel Aviv and threatening painful blows in the future. This has served as evidence of Hamas’s involvement in the bombings.
The Cradle was informed by a senior figure in the Hamas movement that it has not issued any statements claiming responsibility and that reports otherwise are false.
The current Israeli assessment points the finger at Hamas, claiming that Iran was behind the planned attack and had coordinated it with a Hamas cell operating in the occupied West Bank. This is the current narrative that is making headlines in Israeli Hebrew media.
Intriguingly, two Israeli suspects were arrested by Israeli intelligence in connection with the bombings. According to a Channel 12 News report, one of the Jewish Israeli suspects is said to have helped transport those who planted the explosive devices. The detained Israeli citizen is allegedly set to appear behind closed doors at the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court and is being denied access to a lawyer, while interrogations are ongoing to determine whether the “Israeli Jew from Gush Dan” knew about the intentions of who he was transporting.
Responding to the accusations, Bassem Naim, a leading member of the Hamas politburo, told The Cradle the following:
“Based on the timing and the way in which it happened, the first possibility for me is that Netanyahu or members of his government escaped from their obligations in the ceasefire agreement and created an external enemy to relieve the increasing internal pressure. Anyone who reads the history of the Zionist movement will find dozens of proven events that were planned and executed by Zionist elements against Jews themselves.”
Lending credit to the allegations of the Hamas official are the apparent issues with the coordination of the bombings. The armed groups inside the West Bank have not proven themselves capable of pulling off these kinds of attacks before, showing minimal military sophistication. On the other hand, by Israel’s own admission, this was a well-planned operation that evaded detection by the Israeli army and Shin Bet, hence the blame being placed on Tehran.
At the same time, it was also so poorly executed that it left a letter of intent, as if expecting one of the explosives to fail upon detonation, also messing up the timing so terribly that three IEDs exploded prematurely, and all were placed on buses that just so happen to have been isolated from anything else. On top of this, there’s no group that has actually claimed responsibility.
Netanyahu’s favourable coincidences
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has emerged from the bus bombings to push for harsher military measures inside the occupied West Bank, ordering the deployment of more army battalions into the territory. He has also taken the opportunity to weaponize the incident against the Gaza ceasefire.
The internal blame for Israel’s failure to thwart the attack is now also being placed upon the Shin Bet, the head of which is Ronen Bar and has been at loggerheads with PM Netanyahu for some time and was even recently demoted from his role in managing the Gaza ceasefire talks.
The Israeli Premier has also announced a “massive counter-terror operation” in the West Bank, right as the current invasion of the northern West Bank, dubbed “Operation Iron Wall,” was said to be coming to an end.
Also, on Thursday, an anonymous figure was cited by Israeli media as claiming that Benjamin Netanyahu will not allow the Gaza ceasefire to enter into its second phase. The goal of the Israeli leader has been to extend the first phase of the tripartite ceasefire agreement in a bid to save his political career.
In a rather bizarre media stunt, Netanyahu gave one of his three public addresses this Friday from inside a Palestinian family’s home in Tulkarem. After forcing Palestinians out of their house, it was taken over to be used as a military position, from which the Israeli PM stated that “we are entering the terrorist strongholds, clearing entire streets used by terrorists, their homes. We are eliminating terrorists and commanders.”
The bus bombings in Tel Aviv granted Netanyahu the ability to attack his internal opposition while blaming Hamas, Iran, and the West Bank’s armed resistance groups. The attack itself resulted in minimal material damage, not even so much as a light injury, granting a mandate for military escalation based upon the premise that if the bombings were successful, there would be hundreds of casualties.
An accumulation of coincidences, holes in the official narrative, and what Israeli media call “miracles” have all led to accusations of the incident being a false-flag attack. There is still no conclusive evidence to prove this assertion, yet with Israel imposing censorship on the issue, various outstanding questions are yet to be answered.
Good treatment of Israeli prisoners by the Palestinians dismantles Zionist propaganda
By Lucas Leiroz | Strategic Culture Foundation | February 23, 2025
Recently, an image that captured global attention revealed an Israeli prisoner of war kissing the forehead of Hamas members during a prisoner exchange in Gaza. This gesture, filled with humanity and tenderness, is an example of how even in the most extreme circumstances of war, special moments can break the barriers of hatred and dehumanization. The symbolic act reflects a broader phenomenon experienced by several Israeli prisoners, including women, who, after being freed, expressed their gratitude for the respectful and humane treatment they received from the Palestinians while in captivity.
These prisoners, after spending time in the hands of Hamas, contrast with the narrative of dehumanization imposed by years of conflict. In a region where historical tensions have shaped relations violently, the humane treatment that many Israeli prisoners received seems to contradict the image of “cruel” enemies often associated with Palestinian fighters by Zionist media. The act of affection witnessed in this recent case and in the testimonies of other freed individuals not only subverts these expectations but also challenges the narratives that, since childhood, shape the perception of the people in Occupied Palestine.
In Israel, the indoctrination and education of a large part of the population is focused on seeing Palestinians as a constant threat, devoid of humanity. This aligns with the racist foundations of Zionist ideology, which guides all decisions of the Israeli state. However, the humanitarian treatment given to these prisoners, which included medical care and respect for their physical and emotional integrity, revealed a facet of the conflict that is often ignored. The behavior of the prisoners upon being released, with gestures of affection and even expressions of joy for the experience they went through, also shows that it is possible, even in the most adverse scenario, to dismantle stereotypes and find humanity in those once seen as the “enemy.”
In fact, it must have been extremely shocking for Israelis to discover that the people they have been taught to hate since childhood can, in fact, treat them with a level of dignity and humanity never seen in Zionist prisons. The comparison between the treatment given to prisoners by each side clearly shows how each actor in this conflict views the enemy. While Palestinians care for their prisoners and return them in perfect physical and mental conditions, in Israel, public discussions legitimize the rape of captured Palestinians. In practice, Palestinians see ordinary Israelis, outside of hostilities, as human beings worthy of fair treatment. But Zionists see Palestinians as less than animals.
This brainwashing of hatred and misanthropy has created a phenomenon of true collective sociopathy among many Israelis. In the IDF, the torture and killing of Palestinian civilians is almost a rule to be followed. Besides ideological and pseudo-religious fanaticism, official propaganda plays its role, always describing Palestinians as inhuman enemies, exaggerating the actions of Hamas on October 7, and sometimes even lying blatantly, as when portraying Operation Al Aqsa Flood as a “massacre” or “collective rape.”
What is destroying Zionist propaganda and changing public opinion in Israeli society itself – and across the entire West – is the practical experience of Israeli citizens who were held captive by Hamas. The good treatment and humanitarian dignity, admitted by the freed prisoners themselves, is showing the world that Palestinians do not act like Zionists. The Israelis are simply returning to their homes aware that there is more respect for human life among Palestinians than among ordinary Israeli soldiers.
In practice, Palestinian resistance is neutralizing Zionist propaganda with truth and respect for human life. By acting as benevolently as possible with the weak and defenseless, Palestinians are curing Zionist brainwashing and showing the world that it is possible to overcome barbarism.
Israel prevents Palestine prisoners’ families from travelling to Egypt to welcome them
MEMO | February 22, 2025
Jerusalem: Jewish man attacks Israeli woman with axe, mistaking her for a Christian
MEMO | February 21, 2025
An Israeli man attacked an Israeli woman with an axe in Jerusalem on Wednesday, mistakenly believing she was Christian, Anadolu reported yesterday, citing Israel’s Channel 13.
According to the media reports, police suspect that the attack, which took place in Jerusalem’s Old City, was motivated by “hatred of Christians”.
Eyewitnesses told the channel that the suspect shouted “Christian” at the victim before violently attacking her inside her home, leaving her with severe injuries.
The suspect then fled the scene.
The woman, who is around 70 years old and resides in the Old City, sustained serious injuries and remains in hospital for treatment, the reports added.
No statement has been issued by Israeli authorities regarding the incident.
In recent years, attacks against Christians in Jerusalem, including clergy members and tourists, have increased. Settlers frequently spit at and verbally abuse priests, while Israeli police have also been seen physically assaulting them.
Good Jihadi, bad Jihadi: Al-Qaeda’s Sharaa vs Sinwar’s resistance
The Cradle | February 19, 2025
“Even the pages of the New York Times now include regular accounts distinguishing good from bad Muslims: good Muslims are modern, secular, and Westernized, but bad Muslims are doctrinal, antimodern, and virulent.” – Mahmood Mamdani, Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror
In his seminal work, Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror, Mahmood Mamdani dissects how the west constructs and weaponizes distinctions between “good” and “bad” Muslims to suit its geopolitical objectives. He argues that these labels are not inherent but imposed, shaped by the shifting demands of western foreign policy.
Nearly two decades after its publication, his thesis remains alarmingly relevant. Nowhere is this clearer than in the stark contrast between the west’s treatment of Yahya Sinwar, the martyred Palestinian resistance leader of Hamas, and Ahmad al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the head of Al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Syria.
A tale of two leaders
While Sinwar has spent the past year in the war-ravaged ruins of Gaza, constantly evading Israeli and NATO surveillance while leading the Palestinian resistance against a brutal Israeli occupation and aggression, Sharaa moved freely through Idlib, and now Damascus, attending public events and meeting western diplomats without significant security measures.
This is despite the fact that the US had placed a $10 million bounty on Sharaa’s head as a so-called terrorist. The incongruence is striking: an internationally recognized Palestinian resistance leader hunted and vilified, while a former Al-Qaeda affiliate leader rebrands himself as a legitimate political actor with western complicity.
Back in 2021, TRT World noted how Sharaa was “remodeling” himself as a peacemaker, enjoying unimpeded mobility even as western coalition forces actively hunted other jihadist leaders linked to ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan later confirmed that Sharaa had been collaborating with Ankara for years in eliminating those classified by NATO as “terrorists.” The reality, however, is that Sharaa has been part of a western-backed laundering process for years, at least since 2012, but certainly since 2017, when with Qatari backing, he began rebranding his Al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front as a Syrian liberation force opposing Russian and Iranian influence.
Media whitewashing and political legitimacy
The western media’s embrace of Sharaa was made explicit when The Times described his return to Damascus as that of “‘Polite’ Syrian leader heads home.” This was not an isolated occurrence but part of a broader effort to frame him as a liberator from foreign influence. His past crimes, including war crimes against civilians, enslavement of Yazidi women, and sectarian violence, were conveniently brushed aside.
When Sharaa’s group took control of Damascus last December, the alignment with western interests became clearer. Israeli airstrikes systematically dismantled Syria’s military infrastructure, particularly in and around the capital, yet Sharaa himself moved through the city undisturbed.
While the Israeli Air Force bombed military sites near Umayyad Square, Sharaa was seen casually driving through the same areas. His silence on these attacks was deafening – especially given that his administration’s official stance on Israel marked a complete break from Syria’s historic anti-Zionist policies.
Statements from his government indicated no intention to reclaim the occupied Golan Heights or other lost territories, signaling a de facto truce with Tel Aviv.
The west’s legitimization of Sharaa reached its peak when his Foreign Minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, was invited to attend the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, sharing a stage with figures like former British prime minister Tony Blair.
His rhetoric was tailored for a western audience: peace, counterterrorism, privatization, and economic liberalism – all buzzwords signaling a willingness to operate within the neoliberal world order.
Demonizing resistance: Sinwar’s struggle
Meanwhile, Israel continued its relentless campaign against Yahya Sinwar, branding him a “butcher,” a “war criminal,” and a “child killer” – a narrative eagerly parroted by western media despite its lack of substantiation.
Even as the alleged war crimes attributed to Hamas fighters on 7 October 2023 were later exposed as Israeli propaganda, Sinwar’s image remained demonized. In his final moments, as an Israeli drone executed him in Gaza, Sinwar did not cower. He fought until his last breath, cementing his status as an icon of Palestinian resistance. Yet even in death, the western narrative denied him any form of legitimacy.
Julani’s convenient redemption
Conversely, Sharaa’s past was erased. His involvement with the Islamic State in Iraq, his position as deputy leader of ISIS under Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, his group’s mass executions, and his forces’ role in the enslavement of women were all conveniently overlooked.
Western journalists competed to polish his image, portraying him as a pragmatic leader rather than the war criminal he is. His forces still operate brutal prisons in Idlib, where opponents disappear indefinitely, yet he remains a media darling.
This contrast illustrates Mamdani’s thesis with unsettling precision: Sharaa is the “good jihadist” because he aligns with western-Israeli interests, while Sinwar is the “bad jihadist” because he defies them.
Sinwar’s crime was not terrorism – it was successfully challenging the occupation’s military, exposing the vulnerabilities of an Israel long perceived as invincible. His resistance resonated across the Arab and Muslim world, cutting across sectarian lines and threatening western interests.
Sharaa, on the other hand, poses no threat to Israel. He remains focused on the sectarian score-settling within Syria, making him a useful pawn rather than an adversary. His group does not challenge Western influence in the region, nor does it resist the ongoing occupation of Palestinian land. This is the fundamental reason why he is embraced rather than demonized.
Sinwar may have fallen, but as the Quran reminds us: “And do not say about those who are killed in the way of Allah, ‘They are dead.’ Rather, they are alive, but you perceive it not.” (Quran 2:154). His legacy endures, living on in the hearts of those who continue his struggle.
Sharaa, despite his crimes, remains alive and politically relevant. In the western geopolitical playbook, obedience is rewarded while defiance is crushed.
Oracle’s TikTok bid under fire for censoring pro-Palestine voices
Al Mayadeen | February 19, 2025
In a new report, The Intercept sheds light on the complex interplay of geopolitics and corporate power in Silicon Valley.
As Oracle, which has secret partnerships with “Israel”, steps into the spotlight in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a law banning TikTok, the company has emerged as a leading candidate to take over the embattled platform.
However, the tech giant’s unwavering support for “Israel”, particularly in light of the ongoing genocide in Palestine, has raised serious concerns. Questions surrounding Oracle’s political allegiances and their impact on global discourse have never been more urgent.
Pro-Palestine voices in Oracle suppressed
The broader campaign to ban TikTok, driven by US political figures critical of China, has gained added momentum from pro-“Israel” activists.
While the push to ban TikTok has been driven largely by US lawmakers critical of China, pro-“Israel” activists have played a key role in amplifying the campaign, exposing the intersection of technology, politics, and global conflicts in Silicon Valley.
The company’s pro-“Israel” stance, led by CEO Safra Catz, has led to accusations of suppressing pro-Palestinian voices within Oracle.
According to an investigation by The Intercept, Oracle has faced internal backlash from employees who feel their pro-Palestinian views are being repressed. One employee shared that there is a culture of fear, with some workers leaving the company due to its stance. Last year, 68 employees signed an open letter criticizing Oracle’s partnership with “Israel”, and one worker was reportedly fired for creating a pro-Palestinian symbol.
Oracle’s longstanding ties with “Israel” have been pivotal. The company has not only partnered with the Israeli government but also provided technological support to military projects. These collaborations have extended from cloud services to high-profile secretive initiatives like Project Menta, which has worked with the Israeli Air Force. Employees have also expressed concern over Oracle’s involvement in a PR initiative called “Words of Iron” aimed at boosting the Israeli narrative on social media platforms, including TikTok, as per the report.
The company has notably restricted donations to Palestinian causes and banned some charities from its employee donation matching program. Catz, in her statements, referred to pro-Palestinian rights groups as “brainwashing organizations” and dismissed any concerns about Oracle’s involvement with “Israel” during the Gaza conflict. As Yael Har Even, Oracle “Israel’s” deputy CEO, stated, “Safra always says — the U.S. first, the second country is Israel, and after that the whole world.”
The pressure on employees to align with Oracle’s stance has drawn criticism, highlighting the broader influence of political and military alliances in Silicon Valley’s tech giants.
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Lies are Unbekoming | January 25, 2026
The waiting room is clean. The receptionist is polite. The forms ask reasonable questions. Nothing in the physical environment suggests danger. The magazines are current. The hand sanitizer dispenser works. Someone has chosen calming colors for the walls.
A pregnant woman sits in a chair designed for her comfort. She has been told to be here. Not ordered—no one orders. Recommended. Strongly recommended. Everyone does this. Her mother did this. Her friends did this. The women in her prenatal group compare notes about their appointments the way they compare notes about nursery furniture. Which provider did you choose? What tests have you had? The questions assume the answers. The answers assume the questions.
She will be offered things today. Offered is the word used. The offers will come with information sheets that list risks and benefits in tabular form. She will sign consent documents. Everything will be voluntary in the legal sense. No one will hold her down. No one will threaten her. She will choose, and her choices will feel like choices, and she will leave feeling she has done the responsible thing.
What she will not feel is the weight of what has been arranged before she arrived. … continue
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